Blind
by StarWarrior72
Summary: Young Luke Skywalker is strange, not because he is unusual, but because he is so unexpectedly... normal.
1. Chapter 1

Luke sat in the sand, happily playing with a couple of toy speeders. Across from him, a woman spoke softly to a man in a cloak, too softly for the boy to hear. Luke was completely undisturbed by them, far too busy pushing the sand into the right configurations for a track to acknowledge their conversation.

The grown ups looked over at the child, "Are you certain?" Beru asked.

Sadly, Obi-Wan nodded.

They watched Luke playing for a moment, "What tells you so?"

Obi-Wan shook his head slowly, "Look at the way he plays."

Beru frowned as her nephew hopped up, running to them with a little toy ship clutched tight in each hand, "Is it really so unusual?"

"No," Obi-Wan answered, silencing as Luke came into hearing range.

"What is it, Honey?" Beru asked, kneeling down as Luke dumped his toys at her feet.

Eagerly, Luke grabbed her hand, taking his toys back out of the sand and pulling her over to the little track he'd built. Obi-Wan followed the two of them, pointlessly applauding the child as he played.

Once Luke had finished showing his track to them, he shooed them off again to build a new one. However, the adults did not go as far as they had the first time, and he began to pick up snatches of their conversation.

"Completely blind," Obi-Wan said, and Luke fought an urge to look up.

"Is that even possible?" Beru asked, "His father,"

Obi-Wan shushed her, looking back over at Luke, who made sure he was pushing the sand around enough that he wouldn't be suspected, "It seems to be."

"What will happen to him?" his aunt asked.

Obi-Wan shrugged slightly, "Ideally, you and your husband would be willing to continue to care for him. I won't be staying around here."

"You're on your way to Alderaan?" she asked.

Obi-Wan nodded, "Leia will need all the care we have. And due to… this," he indicated Luke, "She's really our only hope."

"You'll say goodbye to him, at least," Beru said, and Luke thought he might have heard some anger in her voice.

"Of course," the wizard answered, "There is one last way I might know." He walked to Luke's side, lifting the little boy away from his fantastical swirling landscape, "I'm going away," he told Luke.

Luke frowned, "Why?"

Obi-Wan looked at him for a moment before answering, "My job here is finished."

"Will you ever come back?" Luke asked.

Obi-Wan looked down at his boots before shaking his head slowly. Luke could only stare at him in shock. His aunt had said that Ben would always be there for him! She had promised that no one would ever leave him again! After a moment of petrified disgust, Luke squirmed free, running to his aunt and clinging to her skirt. Obi-Wan took a step nearer, but Luke hid behind his aunt, only peeking out to see Ben walking away.

"He's not even gonna say goodbye to Uncle Owen?" he asked, looking up at his aunt.

"No," Beru answered, "It's not his way to be sentimental. Just the reverse."

Luke chewed his lip, watching the robed figure walk out into the sand dunes. His fist tightened in his aunt's skirt once again, and she looked down at him, putting a gentle hand in his hair, stroking soothingly.

"At least he's never coming back," she said at last.

Luke gulped on a lump in his throat, "I liked him. I thought you said no one would ever leave me again."

"I never thought they would," she answered, sighing gently as Luke sniffled suddenly and pressed his face against her as well. She lifted him, returning to gather his toys, before entering the dome of their home, the sniffling boy hugged tightly against her.

"Is he gone?" Owen asked roughly from where he sat at the table, drinking a glass of water.

Beru nodded, stroking their nephew's back, "Gone to Alderaan."

"Good riddance," Owen snarled, putting the glass down, "If anything was going to put Luke in danger, it was him."

Luke turned away from his aunt to glare at his uncle, "I liked him," the boy said, "He made me feel safe."

Owen merely snorted, walking off towards the fields, "He was only a danger to all of us," he answered coldly.

Beru sighed, placing her nephew on the counter, putting her husband's drink into the refrigeration unit, "He works so hard for the water, you'd think he'd be more determined to keep it," she joked gently.

Luke only sniffled, his legs slowly starting to kick at the counter. He held a little starship tightly in his hand, wiping his eyes with the sleeve of his other arm. His aunt turned to him, concerned at his lack of response, and sighed sadly, "I'm sorry he did this to you, sweetie."

Luke only stared up at her, another tear trickling down his cheek.

He held out his arms to be hugged, and as she lifted him, he said, in a choked whisper, "Promise you'll never leave."

"I promise," she said, kissing his cheek, "I promise."


	2. Chapter 2

"Luke!" Beru's voice at the door woke Luke. He lay in bed, looking at the door tiredly. He knew he should jump up to let her in, but the urgency in her voice had grown familiar, and he could only assume that this alarm would be every bit as false as every one before it.

"Let me in," she said, knocking again.

Luke sighed, and stood up, opening the door, "Yeah?"

She glanced in, taking in his untidy room, "Gather your things," she said quickly.

"Why?" Luke asked, rubbing his eyes.

"The imperials have arrived in Anchorhead," his aunt answered, "Your uncle is getting the land landspeeder ready to go to Mos Eisley."

Suddenly more alert, Luke dumped his school bag onto his bed, hastily beginning to refill it with clothes, "Why?"

"Your uncle has a bag of clothing for you in the speeder already," his aunt said, "You only need to pack your personal belongings."

Luke blinked at her in surprise, "Why do you have a bag of my things ready? Why do I have to run off to Mos Eisley? What does the Empire being here have to do with anything?"

"Vader's heard of a Skywalker in the area," Beru answered, "Your father would have been a threat to him, so he's likely to think you would be too."

Luke quickly stuffed his bedding into the bag instead, wrapping in it a few belongings, a picture of his aunt and uncle, his computer, and a couple of tapes. He moved to loop his mother's necklace over his head, but his aunt stopped him. He carefully put it in a front pocket.

"Are you coming too?" he asked, confused at her lack of personal rush.

Beru shook her head, "Your uncle and I are staying here. It would be far too suspicious for the farm to be found abandoned. I'm sorry," she continued, "I know I promised never to leave you."

He shrugged, "Why are we going to Mos Eisley?"

"Your uncle will employ someone to get you away from here," Beru answered as Luke swung his pack over his shoulder.

"Away? How far away?"

She shook her head, "As far away as possible."

"How far away? Would the Alliance work?"

"Luke," she scolded gently.

"Biggs is jumping ship to join the Alliance," Luke supplied, "I could go with him. They'd never think to check an imperial ship. And you know it's the place I'd be least likely to be discovered by the Empire."

Beru paused, studying her nephew's eager face before sighing, "I suppose you'd be happy there."

Luke nodded enthusiastically.

"Speak to your uncle. And make sure to get word to us somehow."

Luke nodded again, already hurrying out of his room and down the hall towards the garage. The ride was made in stony silence, and Luke's enthusiasm began to cool slightly. When they reached his friend's farm, he climbed out, looking awkwardly at his uncle until the older man tossed his pack of clothing to him, and motioned him into the dome, driving away as soon as Luke was inside.

_Never one to say goodbye,_ Luke thought, carrying his things inside.

"Biggs?" he called into the silence, and his friend bounded up the steps to meet him.

"Luke! What are you doing here, I'm leaving today," Biggs said before noticing his bags, "Where're you going?"

"With you, hopefully," Luke dropped the bags and grinned hopefully at his friend.

Biggs looked doubtful, "Do your aunt and uncle know you're doing this?"

"They sent me."

"I'm sure the guys'll love to have you," Biggs answered, scooping up one of the bags, "C'mon, I'll grab my bag and show you where the shuttle's going to pick us up."

Luke took the bag back, and followed his friend further into the homestead to his bedroom, where he grabbed his own bag, and led Luke out to a patch of desert free of vaporators, sitting down at the edge.

"So, why are the helicopter guardians outa Hell finally letting you go?" he asked.

Luke shrugged, "Apparently the Empire has come to Anchorhead looking for a Skywalker, and they're afraid they might want to hurt me because of my father."

"Your father?" Biggs asked, confused, "Why would they care about some navigator?"

"I don't know," Luke admitted, "But Aunt Beru was in such a hurry I didn't get the chance to ask. Besides, this seemed too good to pass up."

Biggs nodded, glancing up as an Imperial shuttle landed in the desert, coughing up sand from both sides, "Let's get off this rock."

Luke wrapped his hands tightly around the straps of the bags he was carrying, and followed Biggs aboard. A number of other young imperials sat around, still in their shore leave clothes, chatting.

Biggs led Luke to the back of the shuttle, towards a group of friends, "Hey folks, this is Luke, he'll be coming with us."

"Are these the guys who're?" Luke started, but Biggs kicked him in the shin to shut him up, and he assumed that they were. Blinking away a tear of pain, he nodded, "Nice to meet you."

One of the others stood up and shook his hand formally, and Luke awkwardly returned the gesture, glancing at Biggs in confusion.

"Don't mind Tom," one of the other boys said, "He's always like that."

Tom turned pink around the ears and released Luke's hand, returning to his place. The other boy grinned at Luke, "I'm Percy, and these are Sam," he pointed to a young woman, already in her uniform, "And Shell," a nervous looking boy who kept glancing around the compartment, obviously terrified that they would be discovered at any moment.

"Hi," Luke said, sitting next to Biggs as his friend took his place, "What's the schedule?"

"We arrive at the Academy at eight hundred tomorrow," the woman answered, "Orientation with our ships at nine, and by ten we should be shipping out."

Luke nodded, "So tonight'll be spent flying?"

Percy yawned, "Yeah, they say it's good practice for when we've got late night missions. You'll have to excuse me if I fall asleep on you."

Biggs, Tom and Sam all laughed, and even Shell gave a nervous giggle. Luke felt immediately sorry for the boy, and hoped he would feel more at home once they reached the Alliance. Percy threw an arm around him, though, and as he smiled up at his friend, Luke couldn't help smiling too.

"So," Tom said, "Luke's the flier we've heard so much about?"

Biggs nodded, "Never challenge him to a race, I'm telling you."

Sam looked at him appraisingly, "I think I might take that challenge sometime."

Luke turned to her, surprised, "It's just a figure of speech," he said.

Sam frowned in mock disappointment, "Afraid of hurting the fragile woman?"

immediately, the whole group silenced, staring at them as though she'd just armed a bomb. Looking at her again, Luke decided that she probably metaphorically had.

"Absolutely not," Luke said jokingly, "It's just that I have self-esteem to protect."

She laughed, and it was as though the entire room had exhaled all at once. Luke felt himself sigh.

"Well, you handled that better than any of the rest of us," Percy said, "I had bruises for a week, and even Tom had a black eye."

"The only reason he didn't have more than a black eye was because of how quickly he gave up," Sam said unconcernedly, "Biggs got off with a couple of broken knuckles. He's a pretty good fighter."

"Shell?" Luke asked, and Shell turned away.

"I said I couldn't if I wanted to," he said, smiling awkwardly.

"He gets second place," Sam said approvingly, "So, how about that race?"

"Whenever you're ready," Luke said.

The flight dragged on, and by the time they finally arrived, Biggs had used his pack as a pillow and gone to sleep on the floor, Tom had dozed off in the middle of telling Biggs off for having fallen asleep, and Percy and Shell were asleep on each other's shoulders. Only Sam still seemed alert, and Luke was fighting to stay awake as well, sensing a bit of competition in it, but one he was rapidly loosing.

At last, they landed, and the other groups began moving. Luke gently shook Shell's shoulder, and Shell woke Percy, but before Luke could move to wake Biggs, Sam was poking him with a toe, shaking Tom at the same time.

"Very unprofessional to fall asleep on the job," Tom chided, before realizing that some time had passed since he'd started that sentence and blushing delicately again.

A commander pushed into the room and ordered them all out, and each tired person stumbled out. "Just follow me," Biggs hissed to Luke, and Luke did as he was told. He glimpsed some of the Academy's famous teachers, but the overall tide of students buffeted him along, and before he knew it he'd been introduced to the ship Biggs had been assigned to, and was then being dragged away by Sam, who had put on a big deal of fighting him, Biggs running after them as though to calm her. They boarded a smaller cruiser, and had a reunion with each other, as Biggs and Percy took the ship out of the Academy, and the others ran to man weapons, Luke stood in the cockpit, feeling useless.

"Make yourself useful!" Sam shouted over the din of the chaos that reigned, "Go find out what cargo we've stolen for the Alliance!"

Luke immediately hurried to the cargo bays and opened a few crates, speaking through the headset he'd grabbed as he left the cockpit, "Food," he said, walking to another section and wrenching one of those crates open, "And ammo."

"Score!" Percy shouted, and the others all made sounds of agreement.

Sam didn't immediately make another suggestion to keep Luke busy, and the floor had stopped shaking, so he came back into the cockpit to find the streaks of hyperspace dominating the viewport and Tom and Shell settled, Sam holding Luke's things, "I'm going to have to look through this," she said, "Sorry, but we don't know you well enough to trust you yet."

Luke shrugged, and she knelt down on the floor, pulling a magnet out of her pocket and running it over the first bag, the one his aunt and uncle had packed with his clothing. It went off as it skimmed the second bag, and she quickly reviewed the content of that one before tossing it back at him, "You're clean."

"Thanks," Luke said, "How long is it going to take us to get to the Alliance?"

Biggs glanced over at the navicomputer, "Hard to say. They just gave us a series of random jumpoints, which look like they should take a couple days, but they probably don't end at the actual base, so once we've been picked up, it might be a while longer."

"I'm going to get changed," Sam said, pulling at her uniform, "I hate this thing."

"Then why did you wear it?" Luke asked, "No one else on the shuttle was."

"Ah," Percy piped up, "You'll notice no one else on the shuttle was a girl."

"The Empire won't accept women who are anything less than stelar," Tom added, "I'm curious what she's actually like."

Sam hit him over the head with a convenient bag, which happened to be Luke's clothes, and everyone laughed.

"Honestly," Biggs said, "I'm betting she'll just be her, but in normal clothes."

Sam grabbed her own bag, and headed out of the cockpit, "If anyone walks in on me, I'll decorate the bridge of the first Rebel ship we board with your undergarments."

"Yeah," Shell said, "Probably exactly the same."

"But with less obsessive rule-following," Percy said.

"Unfortunately," Tom added, "It took the two of us to keep you three in line, and I haven't figured out where Luke falls yet."

"You'll need to follow him around with a blaster, taking out the trouble he gets himself into," Biggs joked.

Tom sighed, "I'll go make sure none of the trackers can ever be activated again," he said, standing up.

Luke sat down in his seat, "So, I guess we have to put up with each other for a few days, huh?"

Biggs nodded, "Got that right. I'm starved, Shell, do you think you can manage by yourself for a few minutes?"

Shell nodded, and Biggs stood up, stretching, "Does anyone else want anything?"

Percy nodded, "I'd like a sandwich," he said, "And a soda."

"Same for me," Shell added.

"I'm coming with you," Luke said, and followed his friend out of the room. As soon as they were safely out of hearing range, he looked at his friend, "How long have you known these guys?"

"Since starting with the Empire," Biggs answered, "I know they're a bit weird, and it's hard to believe we've stuck together, but Percy was right. You'll get used to us."

Luke nodded, "I'm not too worried about that. It's just… I can't believe Tom would chose to leave the Empire."

Biggs grinned, "Tom may be a stickler for rules and an absolute suck up to authority, but he hates the Empire as much as the rest of us."

Reassured, Luke nodded, "All right."


	3. Chapter 3

Luke was the first person off the ship when they landed at the meeting spot. Despite everyone's best efforts, three days in the company of such a mis-matched group of individuals had been stressful for everyone involved, most of all the newcomer. The Alliance ship was resting serenely beside theirs, and Luke was well past being ready to join a larger group.

"Come on!" Biggs yelled from behind him, "At least after this we never have to speak to each other again!"

Luke thought the others might just take him up on that for a while, although it had only been meant as a joke. Sam came out, appearing to be in perfect physical condition, but scowling, Tom following, a couple of bruises darkening his cheek after their most recent disagreement about whether Sam had taken a couple of sexist jokes too personally. Percy descended, holding Shell's hand, guiding him protectively, as he had shown little inclination to ever leave the storeroom he'd barricaded himself in.

Biggs hurried down to meet Luke, "You think they'll ever be willing to be in the same room again?"

Luke shrugged, "Who knows. I'm glad to be off that ship, though."

Biggs nodded with great enthusiasm, "Let's see who our rescuers are," he added, stepping towards the ship, closely followed by Percy and Shell. Luke let Sam go ahead of him, and cut between her and Tom before disaster could strike again.

Suddenly, from up ahead, Shell's voice squeaked out, "General Kenobi!" in a very relieved manner. Luke had been focussing hard on keeping himself between Sam and Tom, who didn't seem quite done their fight, but at the words, he looked up. Sure enough, Ben stood in front of him, slightly behind a woman about the same age as the new recruits.

Luke froze in place, and Tom walked into him. Sam whirled as Luke was pushed into her, and he apologized automatically. Tom sneered at him, and stepped ahead. Luke was hardly paying attention. He was much too busy staring at the man he'd thought had left his life forever years ago. The others were all enthusiastically greeting Ben and the girl, who Sam had promptly identified as Princess Leia, but Luke couldn't move. He continued to glare at Ben, his heart pounding with fury. Ben had abandoned him, and now he was turning up again as Luke tried to leave behind Tatooine! He greeted Leia, if only to be polite, ignoring Ben absolutely.

"Welcome to the Alliance," Leia greeted them, "If you'll join us on the ship, Master Kenobi will give you a quick briefing."

Luke turned his gaze to Ben again at last. The man had aged immeasurably since Luke had last seen him, but he had shed the heavy cloak he had worn on Tatooine, showing a practical tunic with a lightsaber hanging at his belt. Looking back at Leia, Luke realized that she was also carrying a lightsaber, clipped securely to her own belt. It looked familiar somehow, although Luke couldn't have begun to guess why.

The next moment, all of the imperials-turned-rebels were being led onto the ship, and Luke found himself buffeted along among them.

"We'll send another ship to retrieve yours," Leia informed them, "For now, it's safer for it to stay here, in case you missed any trackers."

"We most certainly didn't," Tom objected, but Leia caught him with a glare.

"If you hadn't done your best, we wouldn't be taking you to the Alliance," she said.

She gestured for them to sit, and they did. Shell seemed to have been calmed by the presence of the legendary Jedi, because he sat as near Ben as he could. Luke found himself between Biggs and Sam, who seemed to have stopped waiting for Tom to let his guard down. Leia called to the pilot to tell her to take off, and the ship obligingly lifted.

Leia pulled out a data pad and rested it on her lap, looking around at them, "I'd like your names, please."

She looked expectantly at Shell, and after a moment of silence due to the fact that he'd closed his eyes in renewed nervousness, Percy elbowed him gently, "Shell!" he blurted.

Percy readily introduced himself as 'Percy the Greatest', at which Leia laughed kindly, despite the softening of his sense of humour by the several days he'd just spent trapped on a ship with the others.

Biggs greeted her as Biggs Darklighter, certified to pilot an imperial ship.

As she turned her eyes to Luke, he smiled, "Luke Skywalker."

Leia nearly dropped the data pad, "Sky-," she started, before she actually did drop her stylus, and dove after it.

Confused, Luke repeated his name as she sat up again, "Why are you so surprised?"

"Who are your parents, Luke?" she asked.

"Anakin Skywalker," Luke answered, "I was raised by my aunt and uncle."

Leia stared a moment longer before turning to Ben, "Is he my brother, then?" she asked cautiously.

Ben nodded slowly, looking at Luke strangely, "Why aren't you on the farm, Luke?"

"My aunt and uncle heard about Imperials in the town," Luke answered, "I guess they thought I'd be safer anywhere else."

Leia captured him with a glance, "We'll have a conversation when we get to the Alliance," she said, before turning to Tom, clearly expecting the others to move on as quickly.

Tom had turned to Luke, "You never told me you had a sister!"

Luke was still gaping at the two Jedi, "I didn't know I did!" he defended, turning angrily to Ben, "Why didn't you tell me?"

Ben shook his head, "I knew that if I told you of her you would demand to come with me."

"What would have been so awful about that?" Luke demanded, "If I have a sister, I think I deserve to know! You let me think I was an orphan!"

Leia looked at him gently, "We are orphans, Luke. I told you, we can talk about this when we reach the Alliance."

Luke opened his mouth to argue, but Ben had turned to Tom, asking his name again, and Luke gave up for the time being. He continued to gaze at Leia, trying to fathom the idea of having a family before looking up at Obi-Wan and wondering if he should think of him as family as well. The thought was insane, but something about it felt right too.

They landed again just as Leia finished learning Sam's name, and the others stood, siphoning off the ship at Ben's direction. Once they'd gone, Leia stood as well, leading Luke out of the ship and towards a huge temple. Luke stared up at it before realizing how different the surroundings were from Tatooine.

His attention turned to the vegetation, amazed by it, at how tall it grew, how green and alive it was, and the creatures living among the branches of the trees. A glance from Leia, though, and he followed her again. He wasn't sure where Ben had gone, and he wasn't any more sure of whether he wanted him with them or not. Leia led him inside and they walked down into a basement space humming with surveillance equipment which Leia glanced at before seating herself and looking back at him. He awkwardly tugged a chair over and sat down, looking at her.

"Master Obi-Wan said you would get here eventually," she said after a long moment's silence.

"Ben?" Luke asked, "He could have saved us a lot of time just bringing me when he left."

Leia shook her head, "He was worried about you, Luke. We were very small when he came to us, and you weren't ready to protect yourself away from the farm."

"But you were?" Luke asked, "Where did he leave you?"

"Alderaan," Leia answered, looking away from him, "He gave us very different homes."

"I'll say," Luke snorted, "_Princess_."

Leia frowned, "I don't usually use that title except for ceremonial purposes. For all intents and purposes, I'm a Jedi."

"A Jedi," Luke answered, trying to remember the term, "What _is_ a Jedi?"

"We are protectors of peace," Leia answered, "Before the Empire, that is. Now there are only the two of us, but we're working to restore peace."

"Will I be a Jedi too?" Luke asked.

Leia turned to look at him again, and Luke knew it wasn't his imagination that she looked sad, "No. Obi-Wan says you were born blind to the Force."

"Blind," Luke echoed, remembering the conversation he had overheard on Tatooine as such a small child. It sounded like a handicap, and it hurt him to know that Ben had left him because he wasn't exactly what Ben had hoped he would be.

"Blind," Leia answered, "He didn't know what to do about you… so he came to train me."

"And left me to find my own way," Luke concluded.

Leia nodded sadly, "I'm sorry, Luke."

Luke stood up, heading back towards the door, "Goodbye, Leia. I'll… I'll keep out of the way," he promised, "You won't even know I'm here."

Leia stood quickly, taking her lightsaber from her belt and holding it out to him, "It was our father's," she said by way of explanation, "Obi-Wan has wanted me to build my own for quite some time."

Luke accepted the weapon, "I'm sorry," he said, "It's just all so sudden."

"I know," Leia soothed, "But Master Kenobi would probably prefer it if you did keep away from me. Jedi aren't supposed to have attachments, and that includes twin siblings," she said, smiling weakly.

Luke nodded, gripping the weapon tightly and turning out of the room, hurrying back up the stairs. As he emerged from the steps, he ran right into Biggs, who grinned at him.

"Luke! I thought I'd never find you. This place is huge."

Luke nodded, _Huge and heartless_, he thought.

"She gave you her _lightsaber_?" Biggs demanded suddenly, and Luke realized it was still in his hand. He clipped it to his belt.

"She said it was our father's lightsaber," he informed Biggs.

"A navigator?" Biggs asked.

Luke shrugged, "Who knows? At this point, I'm not sure I can believe _anything_."

Biggs patted his back, and he managed to smile, "Come on, I'll show you to our room."

Luke followed, glad to be drawn back into simple, unemotional actions. Biggs led him up and into a small room with a bunk bed crammed in, as well as a couple of trunks.

"They'll be bringing our things from the ship soon," he said, motioning Luke to the upper bunk, which Luke climbed up to, dropping onto it, "Want me to bring you your dinner?" Biggs offered.

"I'm not hungry," Luke said, taking off his mother's necklace and resting it next to his father's lightsaber on the bedsheets.

"Maybe you'd better just get some sleep," Biggs suggested, "I'll get you some fruit or whatever for when you wake up."

Luke nodded, fingering the two relics, all he had of his family. He had an unshakable feeling that Leia would be forever as distant as their dead parents, and he knew that Ben would never again express any interest in him at all, considering he hadn't even come downstairs to oversee their conversation. Maybe… his blindness… was the cause.

He reached to touch his eyes, realizing that Leia of course didn't mean normal blindness, but something more, something more important. He had never felt blind, he'd always been every bit as sighted as his friends. He lifted the lightsaber, rolling onto his back and gazing at it. He turned the emission plate away from himself and activated it, watching as a clear blue beam leaped from it. His father's construction. A gift from his sister. But also a reminder of everything he would never be.

_"__Would you have abandoned me for being blind?__"_ he whispered into the darkness, imagining his father standing at the foot of his bed. He couldn't begin to guess what Anakin had been like now. Every hope and dream he'd ever centered on the man had been based on what now seemed like lies, and he felt them crumbling as he stared at the blade.

He deactivated the blade, popping out the power pack so it wouldn't activate by accident, and crawling under the covers, still dressed. He lay still, lightsaber and necklace gripped tightly, gazing into the darkness, unable to quiet his mind so he could sleep.

He was still lying there, frozen, when Biggs re-entered, putting a couple of pieces of fruit beside him. He didn't move as Biggs changed and crawled into bed below him. As his friend's soft breathing turned to snores, he rolled onto his side, staring out into the darkness. This morning, reaching the Alliance had seemed so promising. It had been a new start, a chance to do his part to help the galaxy, and now all it was was another place he would never be accepted.

He wondered if Leia was thinking about him wherever she was at the moment. She had been kind and polite to him, but no more so than she was to the others. Did their relationship mean nothing to her? Her initial reaction to him would have made him think it meant_ something_, but he couldn't be sure what.

At last, he slept.


	4. Chapter 4

When Luke woke in the morning, he was determined to continue as though yesterday's meeting hadn't shaken him. He glanced at the chrono, and, seeing that it was still only four, grabbed the fruit Biggs had brought him, stringing his mother's necklace around his neck and clipping his father's saber to his belt. He dropped silently to the floor, slipping out the door and into the hall.

Immediately, the sound speaking voices rang out to him, and he followed them to their source. He stepped into a cavernous room, and felt his heart lift considerably. It was a hanger, and rebel technicians were running back and forth among the star starfighters that towered over them, calling instructions to one another. He took one more step inside, and one of them ran right into him, knocking the parts from his hands. Luke immediately helped him gather them up again.

"Sorry!"

The rebel shrugged, "It's fine. Happens all the time. Got a few minutes?"

"I've got until seven," Luke answered, "I haven't got my assignment yet."

"Great," he said, "I'm Sven. I'm working on that ship over there," he indicated a distant starfighter, "They've told me it's beyond help," he grinned at Luke, "I've always hated being told what I can't do."

Luke grinned back, feeling more at home already, having found a friend, "What's wrong with it?" he asked, and Sven started to lead him over to it.

"Just about everything you can think of," he said, dropping his crate of supplies and dropping down to a panel that had been tugged off of it, rummaging around before tugging out a dead rat, "Been in a junkyard longer than we've been alive."

Luke looked at the dead rat in surprise, but Sven just gave it a practiced toss, and it landed squarely in a nearby garbage receptacle, "You any good with a hydrospanner?"

"Pretty good," Luke answered, kneeling down and looking into the hole, "How many rats would you say are in it?"

"Let's just say the upholstery is beyond help," Sven answered cheerfully, "Not squeamish, are you?"

"Uh…" Luke paused, "A little bit."

"Nothing like this to get you past that," Sven declared proudly.

As he started to help with the ship, Luke couldn't help agreeing. Once he'd become used to the assortment of dead creatures that had to be dragged out of it, he'd probably never be alarmed by anything again.

Before he knew it, a check of the time told him he was five minutes late for assignments.

"I'll put in a word for you as a mechanic," Sven offered.

"That'd be great," Luke said, scrambling to his feet and brushing off as much machine grime as he could.

Sven stood as well, "Come on, I'll show you where the assignments are given," he said, starting towards the door of the hanger.

Luke hurried after him, but he shouldn't have bothered. Assignments, it turned out, were given quite haphazardly, and a couple of words from Sven, and a glance at Luke's oil covered form later, he had been officially designated a mechanic.

"I kind of expected them to be a little more thorough than that," he admitted as Sven pushed him out the door.

Sven shrugged, "You're here, you've got a skill they need, why waste the time investigating you?"

Luke had to admit he had a point. He and Sven walked back to the hanger together, and Sven offhandedly tossed him a hydrospanner, "Back to work!"

"Yup," Luke sighed, catching the hydrospanner and settling back down to work, "Hey, Sven?"

"Yeah, Luke?" Sven asked, taking a grime covered rag and a machine, starting to try to siphon out whatever fuel might still have been left in the engine.

"Why'd you join the Alliance?" he asked casually.

Sven shrugged, "Beats sitting around watching them tear the galaxy apart."

"I guess," Luke answered, unbolting a panel, "Looks like the hyperdrive needs some work."

Sven just laughed, "What part of the junker _doesn__'__t_ need work?"

"True," Luke sat up, "I'm gonna go find some breakfast, you coming?"

"Why not?" Sven asked, wiping grime off onto his pant legs, "Better late than never."

Luke cast another glance into the workings of the hyperdrive, "I guess we'd better try to get some parts for her."

Sven waved a smeared hand at a massive pile of parts, "We'll go shopping later. They prefer it if we show up for meals at least recognizable."

Luke couldn't help seeing the wisdom in that, "Come on."

Sven jumped to his feet, and led Luke out of the hanger, exchanging a few greetings with other mechanics.

"I'm never going to get used to the layout of this place," Luke sighed, following him through one of the most convoluted systems of passageways he'd ever seen.

"You'll get used to it," Sven promised, opening a final door onto what looked like an oversized school cafeteria, rebels roaming about amongst the tables, a high ceiling far above the ordered rows of benches. A smell of nondescript food permeated the air, and Luke had an odd feeling of familiarity, even as he looked at the sea of strangers.

After a moment, he realized that Sven had quite a head start on him, and bolted after him, spotting his friends as he ran, "Hey, Sven? I'm gonna sit with those guys, if that's okay," he said, indicating the full table. Apparently they'd managed to forgive each other, although Sam and Tom were sitting notably separate.

Sven shrugged, "Wouldn't mind if I did too, would you?"

"No!" Luke exclaimed, "It'd be great!"

"Fantastic," Sven grinned, "I like meeting new arrivals," he added as they joined the line up to get food.

"How long have you been with the Alliance?" Luke asked curiously.

Sven shrugged as he stepped forward for his food and another tray of food was whisked out to him. A moment later, an identical plate of casserole had been thrust at Luke, and they were headed back towards Luke's friends.

Biggs and Sam shifted aside allowing space for Luke and Sven, who sat.

"Where've you been?" Biggs asked Luke around Sven, "And who's your friend?"

"I woke up early," Luke explained, starting to eat, "I thought I'd make myself useful, so I went to help in the hanger. This is Sven."

"Hey," Sven added, waving at Luke's friends, who introduced themselves.

"What positions did you guys get?" Luke asked.

"Pilot," Biggs answered, shovelling food into his mouth.

"Me too," Sam smiled proudly.

"And me," Percy added, "Shell's gonna be working in tactics," he added.

After a moment of silence, Luke looked up at Tom, "What about you?"

Tom winced visibly.

"Come on," Percy cajoled, "Tell Luke what your assignment was."

Tom kept his mouth decidedly closed.

"Meet the Alliance's newest interpreter," Sam said laughingly.

Tom blanched, then turned scarlet red. Percy and Biggs howled with laughter, and Shell gave a nervous giggle. Sam grinned at the chaos her information and wrought, and Luke couldn't help grinning, "An interpreter?" he asked.

"That's right," Tom said quickly, "What about you?"

"Most promising mechanic I've seen in a while," Sven declared proudly.

The rest of breakfast passed in a flurry of conversation, their capacity for each other's company hugely refuelled by their time apart. By the time their meal was over, they had shared their new understandings of their positions, Sven filling in many of the blanks, and as they were standing to leave, a rebel came to tell them that their ship had been recovered, and they could go down to pick up their belongings. All in all, their descent to the functional hanger was a cheerful one, and Luke began to feel more sure of his choice to join them.


	5. Chapter 5

"Good news!" Sven greeted.

Luke rubbed some sleep from his eyes, blinking around the dimly lit hanger, "Don't you ever sleep?"

"Not much!" Sven exclaimed in a way that indicated he'd been running on caffeine for a couple days now, "But I might now!"

"Why?" Luke asked blearily, starting towards their project.

"She's finished," Sven sighed happily, "I think she'll fly."

Suddenly far more awake, Luke ran towards the ship, looking at it in awe, "She's brilliant."

The ship did look considerably better. The once worn and rusted panels had been replaced, the battered paint job redone on a slow day. Thinking back, Luke could see why Sven had been told that the ship was beyond help. But he could also see why Sven didn't like being told what he could do.

"What are we gonna do now?" he asked. The Alliance had a fairly constant stream of ships in need of repair, but it was hardly enough to occupy their time. He looked towards the junk heap, wondering if they might just find another junker and fix it up as well. Each ship was an asset, something they were constantly reminded of.

"Thought you might take it for a test ride," Sven offered, tossing the keys to Luke.

Catching them automatically, Luke looked at him in amazement, "Me?"

"I've seen the way you look at the pilots," Sven said, "I know you'd rather be up there with them. Now that she's finished, I thought we might ask for you to be transfered to flying."

Looking down at the keys, Luke nodded wistfully, "That'd be great."

"What're you waiting for?" Sven asked, "Get flying!"

Luke climbed up into the cockpit, starting the engine to a great sigh from Sven.

"You wanna come?"

"Only space for one," Sven shrugged, "Besides, I'm afraid of heights."

Grinning at his friend's idiosyncrasy, Luke lifted the ship, feeling the incredible pull of the open sky. Realizing there was a com hanging from a hook on the inside of the cockpit, he put it on.

"Hey, Sven?" he asked.

"Yeah?" Sven's voice crackled back.

"This is _incredible_," Luke told him.

Sven laughed, "I'll leave the two of you alone for a while."

The com crackled off, but Luke didn't bother to remove it. The ship raced up through the atmosphere and into the void of space, trapped by endless stars. Luke had never felt more free.

"I'm gonna test the hyperdrive," he said into the dead com before starting the navicomputer. He cast around for an idea of where to go before setting the ship to take him to a random jump point. As the stars whirled in front of him, he smiled. He'd always loved flying, even if only through the gorges of Tatooine, and the freedom of hyperspace travel was incredible.

After a few minutes, the ship's viewport was cleared of blue streaks, and Luke realized very suddenly that he should have chosen a particular jump point. He'd landed in the center of the Imperial Fleet.

"Jedi!" cried a voice over the com, and Luke turned his ship to try to jump back to hyperspace, a moment too late. The TIEs had already boxed him in. He glanced down at the weapons controls and opened fire, blasting TIE after TIE from the void, but the imperials could send out new ships faster than he could destroy them, and soon he found that he'd been shunted down into a tractor beam.

Twisting furiously in his seat, he managed to catch a glimpse of the ship that had captured him. _Vader! _Luke thought desperately, _Why did it have to be Vader?_

Before he could do anything, though, his ship had been lowered to the floor of the hanger, and it was surrounded by imperial troops. As soon as it'd settled, blue electricity crackled momentarily through the ship, and the systems went dead. A moment later, the top had been hauled open, and Luke was roughly tugged out. Before he could process what was happening, his saber was gone from his belt, as well as his blaster.

"Stupid Jedi," someone said from behind him, cuffing his hands together, "Didn't put up much of a fight, did you?"

Luke bit back a scathing answer, deciding it was better not to make them any angrier. As soon as they'd comforted themselves by thoroughly chaining him, a few troopers and an officer pushed him out of the hanger.

After many long hallways, he was lead into a turbolift, which carried him through the ship at dizzying speeds, after which he was pushed into a large, empty hall. For a short moment, he felt an odd flicker of something, but it was gone as the officer pushed him through a large set of doors.

As soon as the doors opened, an ominous hissing filled the room, and Luke found himself on the bridge, looking across at Vader. He froze where he stood, but the officer shoved him further in, "Not expecting a Sith, were you, Jedi?"

Luke didn't answer, merely watching Vader cautiously as he was led up behind him. After a long moment, Vader turned to him, and Luke felt the tingling of something again.

"Leave us," Vader directed the officer and the troopers, who marched away again, leaving Luke alone with the dark monolith.

Vader returned Luke's gaze for a moment before speaking, "You are not one of the Jedi of old."

"I'm not a Jedi at all," Luke answered. Defiantly, he liked to imagine.

"Yet you fly into the Imperial Fleet in a Jedi starfighter," Vader countered, "And carrying a Jedi weapon."

"The saber was my father's," Luke retorted, "And my friend found the ship in a junk heap."

"Do you know whose ship that was?" Vader asked dangerously, glaring at Luke, "Or whose lightsaber, for that matter?"

"The saber belonged to my father," Luke repeated, "Anakin Skywalker."

For an endless moment, Vader glared at Luke, daring him to change his story. When Luke didn't answer, Vader suddenly swept forwards, swooping Luke off the bridge, back into the hall, and to a second turbolift.

As the lift began to ascend, Luke turned to Vader, "Where are you-,"

"Silence," Vader snapped, and Luke fell silent.

Another sweep of Vader's cape, and Luke found himself herded into a dark room, the grey wall unblemished by any decoration, a massive black sphere the only object present.

"How have you found your way back here?" Vader demanded as soon as the door was shut.

"Back?" Luke asked, startled. He'd expected to be asked many questions. He'd expected that he'd probably be tortured, and most likely killed when they were done, but he hadn't expected to be treated so… oddly.

"Surely you _know_," Vader emphasized incredulously, and Luke felt another odd flicker.

"Know _what?_" he asked.

"Child," Vader sighed suddenly, "If you do not know…"

"Know what?" Luke asked again.

Vader began to pace, and Luke watched the frenzied action in confusion. So far, it seemed as though Vader was considerably more disturbed by their current situation than Luke was. Vader turned suddenly to face him, and seemed about to talk, but abruptly turned to continue pacing.

At last, Vader flicked a hand at Luke, and his binders fell away. Luke rubbed at his wrists, and Vader took a particularly long, rattling breath.

"What is your name?"

"Luke," Luke answered, and Vader sighed again.

"Of course," he murmured.

"What are you talking about?" Luke asked, confused.

"Padmé said it would be the perfect name for our child," Vader ranted, "She told me that it was only fitting for the name to match the joy…"

"What's going on?!" Luke asked again, alarmed now.

"No doubt Obi-Wan told you I was dead," Vader answered, meeting Luke's gaze again, "He did his best to ensure that, after all. When he began training the girl, I thought it must have been true that you were dead. Your mother knew long before your birth that it would be a boy."

"_You__'__re_ my father?" Luke demanded. The words hurt like a slap in the face.

"Yes, child," Vader answered, seeming to finally focus, "I am afraid that I am."

Luke could only stare, speechless. Vader met his gaze, and one black gloved hand reached up to take Luke's shoulder, caressing it with awkward gentleness. With the touch came another thrill of strange awareness, but this one was as dark as the figure who stood before him.

"Give me back my lightsaber," Luke commanded at last, and Vader pressed it into his palm.

"Use it better than I did," Vader intoned, clearly expecting Luke to turn and leave.

"I'm not going anywhere," Luke said decidedly, "Not until I know what happened!"

Vader looked at him strangely, and Luke returned it with as much bravery as he could muster, which was greater, now that he held his father's lightsaber once again.

"I suppose you will need accommodations," Vader said at last, and Luke followed him through a previously unnoticed door deeper into the quarters.

"Did you know about me?" he asked at last.

Vader's helmet shook slightly, "Palpatine did not see fit to inform me."

Luke nodded, and walked in silence for a few feet. Vader had led him into what seemed like normal quarters, and they passed through an open living space before Vader led him into a small room with a single bed in it.

"These rooms are usually used to house an apprentice," the Dark Lord explained at Luke's confusion.

Luke nodded, dropping onto the bed, "I thought you'd put up more of a fight than this," he admitted.

"I will not deny you the right to a home," Vader answered, "And you are not without your uses."

"Uses?" Luke asked curiously, looking up at the Sith.

Awkwardly, stiffly, Vader sat down next to Luke, "Have you had any training?"

Perplexed, Luke answered slowly, "First aid training, I guess."

Vader shook his head, "No. Jedi training."

"Jedi training?" Luke laughed, astonished, "No, Leia says I'm blind."

"Blind?" Vader asked, even his deep mechanical voice betraying confusion, "You most certainly are not. Blinkered, perhaps, but not blind."

Luke sighed, "I don't think so. They said I'd never be a Jedi, because I didn't inherit your power."

"But you _did_," Vader insisted, reaching out to place his hand against Luke's face.

Again, Luke felt the odd prickling sensation, but this time, it continued, becoming less a prickling, and more of an extended connection, at the end of which he could _feel_ Vader. Confused, but fascinated, Luke reached out towards the presence, and he knew somehow that Vader was smiling.

"I told you that you had my power," Vader rumbled.

"But Leia said!" Luke protested, "_Obi-Wan_ said!"

Vader sighed noisily, "Obi-Wan feared your power, I'd wager. He saw me in you, and he was afraid to train another Sith by accident."

"Obi-Wan trained you?" Luke asked.

Vader stood up suddenly, and Luke automatically followed as the Dark Lord marched out into the living area, waving Luke to a large sofa, as he began to pace, "Obi-Wan was my Jedi Master," he answered shortly, "He was cold and distant, but he was the best idea I had of a father. It was his betrayal that convinced me of the Jedi's malevolence."

"How did he betray you?" Luke asked, thinking of when the old man had left him alone on the farm.

As though he had heard Luke's thoughts, Vader spun back to him, "That… that _devil_ of a man."

Luke felt as though he should have defended Obi-Wan, but in the face of such fury, he couldn't think of one redeeming thing that Obi-Wan had done.

"_I_ will _never_ leave you," Vader swore, "Stay with me, Child, and we will see the galaxy together. Come with me to the stars, and we will end this war _together_."

Luke smiled, flattered by Vader's sudden impassioned speech, "How will we end the war?"

The strange prickling feeling, which must have been the Force, Luke realized, gave a sudden fizzle, and Vader laughed, "I don't know. I _never_ know when I start something. But we _will_. Together. And we will never be enslaved, not by the Empire, not by the Jedi, not by _anything_."


	6. Chapter 6

"Come on, Luke," he encouraged again, watching Luke sitting on the floor, focusing with all his might on lifting an old droid piece off the floor.

Exasperated, Luke opened his eyes, "It might be easier if you'd stop distracting me."

"There are always distractions," Anakin countered, "Name one time that you might find perfect silence."

Sighing, Luke returned his focus to the piece, "Maybe now, if I hadn't asked you for help."

Anakin laughed, and Luke turned his eyes up to the scarred face, smiling back at him, "I'll help you again," his father smiled, sitting down next to him.

Again, Luke closed his eyes, reaching out to try to lift the piece, and he felt his father's strength combining with his own as the part slowly lifted. After a short moment, he felt Anakin's presence start to unwind from his own, and he struggled to hold the plating for a moment longer, dropping it almost as soon as his father was gone.

"You're getting better," Anakin told him, but Luke could hear the disappointment in his voice.

Luke sighed, "I'm bad at this, and I know it. You don't have to lie to me."

"It's not you," Anakin told him, and Luke managed to use the Force to send the metal skittering across the floor in his frustration, "I don't know why this is giving us so much trouble."

"Has it occurred to you that maybe you're just lending me your power?" Luke asked frustratedly.

Anakin vehemently shook his head, "You have your own power. I can sense it in you, and when you move the piece, it is _definitely_ your power doing most of it! You just sent it sliding across the floor on your own, lifting it _should_ be the next step!"

"Maybe I'm not ready for the next step," Luke suggested, making their practice object slide back and forth across the polished floor.

Watching his son's game, Anakin shook his head, "If you can do that so easily, you should be ready for the next step. Let's try again."

Luke sighed, but pulled the piece back to sit in front of them again. He raised his hand, trying to lift the piece and, as usual, had no success. After a moment's frustration, he sensed his father's strength joining his, lifting the plating. After they and held it aloft for a moment, his father's attention retracted, and Luke felt his hold falter.

"Keep holding it," Anakin instructed him, and Luke managed to steady it, grateful when his father's attention held at his presence. After a few seconds, Anakin shook his head, drawing back completely, "You can put it down now."

Luke had already dropped the part. He looked over at his father in frustration, but Anakin was looking pensively at the metal sheet.

"What?" Luke asked.

"I don't think you need my help," Anakin answered.

"Don't need your help?" Luke laughed incredulously, "I can't lift it an inch without you!"

Anakin nodded, "Try again."

Rolling his eyes, Luke returned his focus to the piece, surprised to feel that his father was already with him. He reached out to lift the piece, startled to succeed, even without his father's help.

"Strange," Anakin's voice said, disconnected from the small reality Luke had imagined to help himself.

"What's so strange?" Luke asked, dropping the piece.

"A moment ago, you couldn't even keep it up, much less lift it yourself," Anakin answered, "But when I opened myself to your searching, you managed it."

Luke shrugged, "So I need you sitting next to me. I'm still not much good."

"I'm not sure it's that important that you're close to me," Anakin said, putting his hand on Luke's knee, "Try again."

Luke reached out again, and managed to lift the piece again. As his father's hand left his knee, however, it crashed back to the floor.

"Huh."

"I give up," Luke sighed, "I can't do it! You've gotta be right here! It's useless!"

Anakin was still looking at the piece of metal when Luke looked up at him. After a drawn out moment, Anakin stood up suddenly, hurrying off to get something. Frustrated, Luke just glared at the piece, before sending it smashing into the wall again. Anakin returned a second later, and dropped something into Luke's hands.

"Hold onto that and try again."

"Why can I do the other stuff without help?" Luke asked.

"I'm not absolutely sure," Anakin admitted, "But I think it might have to do with me."

"You?" Luke asked, confused.

"Yeah," Anakin nodded, "The rest of this, you do when you're annoyed, or bored. Feelings I used to have a lot. You seem to have convinced yourself this is a lot harder, though, so it's not as easy for you."

"So, you think I need to relate this stuff to you somehow for it to work," Luke supplied resignedly.

"That's right," Anakin nodded, "It's when you seem to do best."

"And you think holding your old lightsaber will help?"

Anakin shrugged, "I think it's worth a try."

"Oh, yeah," Luke rolled his eyes, "Like I can just wave my hand at it and say _up!_"

As he acted it out sarcastically, the piece leapt into the air, hovering where Luke's hand had stopped.

"Oh," said Luke.

"Great!" Anakin said, "Come on, I think you're ready for something bigger!"

"Bigger?" Luke asked, alarmed, but Anakin had already pulled him to his feet, dragging him out into the living area.

"Lift that!" Anakin said excitedly, pointing at the sofa.

"Seriously, Dad?" Luke asked, exasperated.

"Yes!" Anakin answered enthusiastically.

Rolling his eyes at his father's enthusiasm, Luke gripped the weapon tightly, and extended a hand towards the sofa, which obediently lifted slightly.

"See?!" Anakin demanded, "You just need to be more confident!"

Starting to feel encouraged, Luke used the Force to lift the table as well, before going for a data pad, carefully moving it over to the table, which was still hovering.

"You're doing _great!__"_ Anakin cheered ecstatically, and Luke grinned. He knew that his father's life hadn't given him any reason for joy in a long time, and he enjoyed trying to show his father how to smile again.

"We should play catch!" Luke suggested, lowering the table back to the floor, datapad resting on it, and starting to pull his father, who came along willingly, back to their training room.

"Catch?" Anakin asked, obviously amused, "Aren't you a little old for-,"

Luke scooped up the sheeting with the Force, tossing it towards his father, "Catch!"

Laughing in sudden understanding, Anakin launched it back at him, and he fumblingly caught it, sending it flying back towards his father. As Anakin returned it, he smiled, "You're ridiculous, Luke."

"I know," Luke grinned, "I got it from you."


	7. Chapter 7

Luke dropped the necklace he used to focus his powers, staring at the lump of ceiling Palpatine's body had been crushed under. He turned to see his father, who had got back to his feet, even with one arm a sparking stump. The room itself was in chaos, cleaning droids already skittering over the debris of their battle.

"Did I finish it?" Luke asked uncertainly.

Anakin paused for a moment before nodding his helmeted head, "You did."

Luke allowed himself a sigh of relief, and Anakin put a hand on his shoulder reassuringly, turning him away from the body, "Guards will be coming any moment."

Luke nodded, starting out of the room, "What will we do now?"

"I thought we might return to Naboo," Anakin said, "I'd like to get away from this conflict for the time being."

"I'd like that," Luke nodded, "Would we go back to where you stayed with Mom?"

Anakin nodded simply, and through their bond, Luke sensed his exhaustion. Offering his own strength to support his father, Luke stepped out of the room.


End file.
